Brookside Village residents say $295 million project could have stop community from flooding

BROOKSIDE VILLAGE, Texas – Sheryl Karolinski was out of town when Tropical Storm Beta struck her Brookside Village home and pushed an estimated three inches of water inside.

With the help of her daughter -- plus neighbors and the surrounding community of Brazoria County and Pearland -- she and other residents are getting the help they need. Water, food, bleach, and mucking kits to kick start the repair process.

“It’s gonna help a lot when we get really going tomorrow or the next day,” said Karolinski.

City hall has served as the hub to push out supplies. With no assistance from the county, state, or federal level the people in Brookside largely have had to help themselves.

“Really it was just the community coming together,” said resident Tiffany Travis. “Our volunteers coming together to help our people hit hardest.”

But from city hall to the streets of this small city that is just two square miles the people believe the flooding threat would diminish if a 52-year-old project to widen and deepen Clear Creek would just get started. Flooding from Harvey left 95% of the homes damaged and forced out about 60% of the senior citizens who lost their property.

In Brookside Village, they don’t want to lose anymore.

“I believe there’s $295 million for the project to start widening the creek that goes through the city,” said Greg Thomas, a city councilperson. “If we’ll just get on to it maybe we can stop some of the flooding within our city.”

About two dozen families suffered flood damage this week because of Beta.


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